I Think The General Can Wait
by Crazyfangirl23
Summary: Poe finds Finn confused, naked, and in a leaking bag and takes care of him, whilst also trying to avoid confrontation with General Leia. Following on from events of The Last Jedi.


I Think The General Can Wait

As soon as Poe saw him, he raced to his side, feeling sorry for his clear confusion and situation. As Finn recognised him, a small smile of recognition lit his face and as Poe looked him up and down, he realised he really was bare and naked, save for the translucent, spurting bag wired into him. Poe's excitement and relief that he was awake was uncontainable as he exclaimed 'Finn! Finn, buddy! It's so good to see you...' His sentence trailed off as water sprayed his pilot's jacket and he took Finn's arm, trying to resist smiling wildly. Whilst facing the dreadnought, Poe could focus only on revenge to the First Order for the state they had left Finn in. And as soon as BB-8 had alerted him about Finn, he felt like he had avenged his pain. Poe's hands held the bag up so that the water stopped spraying everywhere. 'Wha...we need to get you dressed, come on.' He said, his hands now soaked and aware that everyone could see this spectacle.

'You must have a thousand questions.' He added, walking him along the passageway. Finn's head suddenly turned to look at him, and his eyes pierced his forcefully.

'Where's Rey?'

Poe paused, smiled a little, then clapped his hand on Finn's back and shuffled him along. 'Rey is fine. She escaped Kylo Ren and returned to the Resistance base, with you unconscious.'

'Where is she? I wanna see her.'

At this Poe's smile turned into a wondrous grin and in a masterful whisper, told him 'she's gone to find Luke Skywalker.'

Finn's eyes dilated and his own mouth twisted into a smirk.

'Luke Skywalker? You found him?'

'Artoo finally woke up, and together the droids completed the map. He's a long way from home, buddy.'

'Have you heard from her?'

'No, not yet. But we're hoping she brings him back soon,' his tone turned darker, 'the First Order is gaining power.'

Finn stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder, pressing down on him comfortably.

'And how are you?' He asked, a smile dominating his features, and his eyebrows raising. Poe's teeth instinctively rolled over his lip, grinning. He was glad Finn was back; he could make him feel normal, and take all of his pressures away, even in their current situation.

'I'm good, Finn. But I just took down a dreadnought-'

'Oh, that's great!'

'...without permission.'

Finn's face dropped. 'Oh.'

'The General's gonna bust my ass.'

'Shouldn't you go see her? I wouldn't want to keep the General waiting.'

'Finn, you need some clothes right now. And I think the General can wait just a moment longer until you're dressed and dry.'

Finn couldn't answer back since they were now in Poe's sleeping quarters.

'Now, stay there.' He motioned with his hands, racing out the door to find a towel or a cloth. Poe came back into the room, where Finn was fiddling with the tubes attached in order to break free.

'No, no, Finn!' he raced to him, reattaching the tubes, 'you need to take them out in a certain way, and carefully,' he knelt before him, looking up at him before focusing on taking out the tubes on his shoulder.

For a while, he was crouched there slowly undoing the water-filled bag until it came fully off his body. Poe disposed of it before looking in Finn's eyes.

'Are you okay? Does it hurt?' He asked, sweeping the towel over his bare shoulders.

'Only a little. It's fine,' he said, wrapping the towel round his naked body tightly.

Poe patted his shoulder before turning away and crouching down by a trunk. Opening it, he found fresh and clean clothes of his and fished them out, stacking them next to Finn.

'You can wear these.' He said, noticing Finn was flexing his arms.

'Yeah, just stretch your arms a bit. It might be itchy from where the bag was attached to you.'

Finn unexpectedly looked up at him, his eyes making Poe feel small but special.

'Thank you, Poe.'

'No problem, buddy.'

Sitting down next to him, he wrapped his arm round Finn's shoulder and helped him to dry off.

'My hands...my whole body feels stiff. How long was I in there for?'

'A couple of days. You will feel stiff for a while.'

Taking the pile of clothes, he thanked Poe again for lending them to him.

Poe promptly jumped to his feet, awkwardly watching and averting his eyes as Finn pulled the shirt over his head, just glimpsing the muscles on his chest before they were covered.

'I-I'll just leave you to...yeah.'

Poe turned his back while he got dressed, noticing the jacket he had hung up. Taking it into his hands, he smiled as he thought about it being hung on his wall since Finn had been unconscious, and how long he had waited to return it to him.

'I'm done.' Finn called, and Poe swiftly turned around, his eyes looking him up and down as Finn fixed his belt buckle. The clothes ran just a little too big on him, but the belt held them in place and Poe could see his arms straining through the fabric.

'Could you help with the boots?' He asked, 'I'm too stiff to bend over and do them.'

Poe only just heard him and snapped out of his daze, walking over to him and kneeling at his side. Once he had helped him with his shoes, Poe rose slowly from the floor, holding out the jacket for Finn to take.

He smiled, looking into Poe's eyes. 'I've borrowed it long enough.'

Poe shook his head. 'Didn't you hear me the first time? It's yours. It suits you better.'

Finn reluctantly took it from his hands, but when he put it on Poe observed just how comfortable Finn looked in it.

'Thank you, Poe.' He said sincerely, again giving Poe the same intense and grateful look.

Poe helped him up, and fully observed how good he looked in his clothes. He looked truly like a Resistance fighter, a soldier, a rebel. It made Poe smile.

'Can you walk well enough?'

Finn looked down at his shuffling feet. 'I think so.'

'Come on, let's get you out here and fill you in.' He clapped his back, and together they walked out and toward the main control room. On looking inside, Poe could see everything was as normal as it could be, with captains and lieutenants running around everywhere. Though when he spotted General Leia, he brought Finn back and hid himself from view.

'Hey, what-'

'The General's in there,' he explained, 'I'm just gonna prepare myself.'

'Are you scared?' Finn asked incredulously, his eyebrows rising again, 'are you scared of the General?' He laughed.

Poe looked at him and smirked. 'No,' he said resolutely, 'But I've heard stories from when she was on the senate.'

'What kind of stories?'

Poe slicked his hair back, peering round to see her again.

'Okay, I'll go in and see her.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.'

'I didn't picture you being this concerned.'

'Well, there were lives risked and sometimes it doesn't always work out the way you want it to.'

'Oh.' Finn sighed.

Poe turned to him, hoping he wasn't too disappointed with him. On reflection, maybe taking down the dreadnought was a very miscalculated judgement. But it had been fully destroyed, and the First Order had at least lost a portion of their power.

'Wish me good luck with her?' He asked.

Finn nodded, and his eyes again drew him in irretrievably. He remembered when they had first met, and they had both escaped from the First Order. Those eyes had instantly captivated him and again now they entranced him. Suddenly, he felt himself leaning forward, his head colliding with Finn's and his lips on his. It was short, but it left him breathlessly shocked. From the look on Finn's face, it was just as much as a surprise as it felt to him. A heavy pause settled into the air, where their chests heaved up and down and their hearts beat thunderously. The corridor was deserted, but it felt like everyone on the ship had eyes on them.

'I'm sorry.' He said, gingerly meeting Finn's eyes.

'Don't worry about it,' he replied, a small smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. It gave Poe just a little more confidence.

He turned, ready to walk in and subject himself to General Leia, but a hand pulled him back.

'Poe,' Finn said, his voice still a little breathy, 'I'm going to leave the base.'

His eyebrows instantly creased at the sudden news, his eyes looking at Finn in confusion.

'Why?'

'I need to find Rey.' He stated.

Poe looked down at the floor when he said it, but quickly gained his composure.

'You don't have to, Finn, we know where she is. We're in contact with her. You should stay here until you're fully recovered and help us fight the First Order. God knows we need all hands on deck now.'

Poe knew that it was partly his own fault for proceeding with the attack on the dreadnought, but tried not to punish himself too badly for it; General Leia would most likely take care of that for him.

'I need to help her.' He said earnestly. Then, 'come with me,' he added, his eyes pleading and his hand rising to his shoulder.

The words hung in the air and Poe wasn't too sure if he hadn't actually imagined them.

'Finn, I want to. But I can't. They need all the pilots here, I can't abandon ship now. Especially now.'

Finn nodded understandingly. 'I just wanted to let you know before you came looking for me.'

Poe nodded now, trying not to look too disappointed.

'Well, good luck. I would let the crew know you're awake and gain some information on where Rey is first. The escape transports are down by maintenance.'

'I think I'm going to pack a few things first, then see the General.'

'Feel free to take my stuff. Some clothes, some weapons-'

'Thank you, Poe. Really, thank you.'

'It's okay, buddy.' He clapped his shoulder once more, and Finn suddenly embraced him, his arms wrapped tightly round his shoulders. Poe smiled, then drew away.

'Again, good luck with the General.' Finn grinned.

'I'll need it.' He smirked again. A small pause, and then Finn turned away. Poe missed a beat, watching him walk away, but then ran after him. Spinning him round unexpectedly, he kissed him forcefully and longer than he previously had, letting go only because he had to.

'Return to me.' He whispered, his forehead briefly touching Finn's.

'I will.'

Poe let go of him, smirking. 'I can't wait to meet Rey.'

Finn walked backward, smiling 'I can't wait to see her again,' he called, finally turning and walking away.

As Poe watched his figure recede, he spun round himself and made for the door leading to the control room. Pausing in the doorway, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. He saw General Leia turn around to look sternly at him, and Poe's nerves wavered. But when he thought of the kiss, he was able to walk in with an optimistic smile.


End file.
